The volturi princess
by bellacullen202
Summary: AU New Moon. Instead of staying with her dad in Forks, Bella travels to Italy in search of Edward where she is changed by the Volturi. 100 years later every vampire in the world is ordered to Volterra to celebrate her. Will old sparks reignite?
1. The volturi princess

**The Volturi Princess**

**A/N Hey guys! This is Brinna202 and my new story. Hope you like it. Please review and give ideas and criticism. By the way, for fans of Dating a Cullen, I will still be working on it and updating. **

**The birth of a princess**

**Bella's point of view**

How could he have done this to me? I thought he loved me, but I guess I was wrong. What's the point of living. I don't want to be here without him.

"Bella, come on baby. Phil and I are going to take you on a relaxing trip. You know how we always planned on going to Europe." I heard my mom talking to me, but it meant nothing.

She had tried before to get me to leave Forks. I hadn't let her take me away. I had to stay in case he came back. Now was different though. I was going to go to Europe and search for him. I would search the world if I had to.

I vaugly noticed the drive to the airport or the plane ride. My thoughts were consumed with images of him. The first time I saw him, sitting with him in the meadow, sleeping in his arms every night. Then the dark thoughts came; him saying goodbye, the forest rushing by me, and then the darkness.

"Bella why don't we go inside and unpack our stuff?" My mothers voice pulled me from the nightmare. It was then that I noticed that we were outside of the hotel. I couldn't go in, I had to look for Edward. I needed to beg him to take me back.

"No mom. I think I'm going to sightsee." Renee looked at me startled. This was the first real time that I had spoken since the accident. I didn't wait to hear her answer, I just walked off down the road.

I wasn't exactly sure where we were, but I thought that I remembered Renee mentioning Italy. I looked around to try to get my bearings. I noticed that I was in the middle of a plaza and that ahead of me was a clocktower.

I kept walking toward the clock tower hoping for even a glimpse of bronze hair. It took me awhile to navigate through the crowd, but I finally managed to reach the clocktower. I didn't know where else to go, when I noticed a small alley to the right.

I decided it was worth a shot and started to walk into it. I stopped when I heard a deep chuckle.

"My, my, my. What do we have here? A little snack perhaps?" The menacing voice seemed to be coming from all around me.

"Oh, Felix. You know the rules. She goes to them and they decide who gets the snack." Another voice broke in. This one was just as scary as the first.

As I kept looking around, I noticed two men walk toward me from the darkness. I had no fear. There was no room for it with all the pain. I just stared at them waiting for whatever they were planning.

I noticed that there eyes were a burgundy red. I couldn't stop the slight excitement that welled. These were vampire's, anything that even vaugly was like Edward was welcome.

"You're vampires." I stated. A look of shock crossed both of their faces before they masked it.

"This is a suprise. You'd better come with us." Said the taller of the two. "I'm sure they'll want to see this." he murmered to the other.

They each grabbed one of my arms and lead me to a drainage pipe. We kept walking for what seemed like forever, when we came up to the surface. We were in what looked like a waiting room. There was a woman at the desk. I was slightly shocked to see that she was human.

"Hey Gianna." said the shorter of the two. The woman looked up and blushed when she saw him gazing down at her.

"Come on Felix, we don't have time for you to flirt." Said the taller one. He started to pull me down the hall to another chamber. When we entered, I noticed that it was full of vampires, but three stood out from the rest.

They sat on a raised dais that showed there status above the rest. I was pushed to my knees in front of them.

"Demetri, Felix what do you have here?" Asked the one in the middle. Instead of waiting for them to answer he reached for the taller ones hand. After a minute he sat back.

He seemed to analyze me for a minute before he quickly grabbed my hand. I flinched away, but he was too strong. At first he had a puzzled looke which changed to disbelief then to anger finally landing on curious.

"Well this is interesting. I can't read her. Jane dear would you please?" He said to a small girl beside him.

She simply smiled at him then turned to me. Her smile quickly turned to a scowl. "I can't harm her, Aro." she said to the middle man.

Aro turned back to me and smiled before turning to the other two. He grabbed their hands for a minute before turning back to me.

"Today is your lucky day. We are not going to kill you, you will be changed instead." An audible gasp was heard, but I was too shocked to see who had done it. This might make Edward love me and if not then I could at least try to get him back forever.

The one named Aro leaned toward me and said, "Let's begin."

**A/N So how did you like it. Please review and give ideas. I hope I got the characters right. **


	2. What Did You See?

**A/N Wow! This got such a strong response. I was shocked. Thanks to all of my reviewers. I appreaciate the support. I hope you like this next chapter. This is 100 years after chapter 1. I am not writing a sci-fi so just act like nothing changed. **

**What Did You See?**

**Edward's point of view**

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_ I reached into my pocket for my phone. I saw Alice flashing on the caller id. I flipped it open, knowing she wouldn't give up until I answered.

"What do you want Alice?" I asked her. She was silent for a moment, alerting me that something was wrong.

"Edward, don't get mad and freak out," she begged me. Wow. It really must be bad for her to start out like that. I wonder what happened. "Edward, I think you need to come home. I have to tell you something, but I know you will be your normal dramatic self and do something stupid unless you're here."

"Alice what are you keeping from me?" I asked her in a suspicious tone. I started running back to the house as I waited for her to answer. I had been out hunting before she called. I didn't really need to hunt, but I was desperate to get out of the house, away from the pity in their minds.

After I left Bella, I had gone on my own for awhile. I tried my hand at tracking for a time, but I wasn't good at it. I finally came home when Alice sent Emmett and Jasper to get me. I had been a mess when they found me. I was empty inside without Bella.

I stopped when I got to the door of the house. We were currently in Fort Yukon. It was an exact replica of our house in Forks. I heard everyone in the living room.

I walked in stopping in the entrance when everyone turned to face me. I tried to look in their minds to see what was going on, but all of them were blocking their minds. This instantly put me on alert.

"What's wrong guys?" I asked looking from one face to another before stopping on Alice.

"Edward, Carlisle just got a message from Aro and every vampire in the world has to report to Volterra." Emmett blurted out. Everyone turned to glare at him, I was just suprised that he had kept this from me this long.

"What's the occasion?" I asked in a bored tone. My question was met by silence. I looked around before my eyes settled once again on Alice.

"The brothers have adopted a daughter and are having a ball to celebrate her century." Carlisle answered, looking at me warily.

"Why are you guys acting so weird?" I asked. I turned to Alice, "Alice what's going on?"

"It's....Bella," she said looking down. I went rigid at the mention of her name. Bella was a vampire? She was in Italy? Why hadn't Alice seen this before? Wait, if she was alive, then that meant that I might still have a chance with her. I would definantly have to beg, but I was willing to do whatever it took.

"Why are you acting like someone died, no pun intended? This is great! She's alive. Maybe..." I trailed off as I looked back at Alice. She seemed as though as if she could cry she would be. "What's wrong?"

"Edward, I saw her. She won't take you back." I heard her say something else, but my mind couldn't process it. Bella didn't want me? I knew it was what I deserved, but still it cut my heart to hear. Despite my best effort, I had never lost the hope that Bella would always want me and wait for me.

I vaugly felt two pairs of arms wrap around me before I snapped. All I wanted was to die. I wanted the pain that was welling inside my dead heart to stop. I felt like I was suffocating and I just wanted relief. Why wouldn't they give me my relief?

I was fighting harder than I had ever fought before, letting my instincts guide me. I was clawing and kicking trying to free myself. I heard my captors grunt and groan as they tried to suppress me. The sound of our bodies crashing together echoed in my head.

I couldn't see anything around me anymore, all I could see was Bella. Her perfect face tilted up as if to look in my face. Her mahogany hair cascading down her back, with that one stubborn piece that wouldn't stay behind her ear. I beautiful brown eyes looking at me from under her dark lashes, a small smile playing on her full lips.

How could I live if she didn't love me anymore. Before I knew it, I was on the ground sobbing tearlessly. I felt a hand on my back. I didn't have the strength to protest. Through my agony, I heard Alice say, "Edward, we'll go to Italy and you'll win her back. I know it. Remember the future isn't set in stone."

I hoped that this would be the first time that Alice was wrong.

**A/N Okay I know it was short, but this is just a filler. Next chapter, the real fun begins. I hope you will stick with me and review. I hope I portrayed Edward right. **


	3. Who's that girl?

**Who's that Girl?**

**A/N Hey I'm back. Sorry it took awhile. I have a new poll on my profile that you all should go vote on. I hope you guys like this chapter. I wasn't sure on it. I am now a beta! If any of you need a beta just send a tell. There is a hint in this chapter about a future plot twist. See if you can catch it.**

**Edward's point of view**

I couldn't remember the drive to the airport, I was too busy 'wallowing in the pain' as Jasper had kindly put it. I vaugly remembered picking up the passport and tickets from the desk and boarding the plane.

During the 14 hour flight, all I could think of was Bella. It always started out the same, remembering the first time I took her to the meadow, the first time I spent the night(that she was aware of), then random images of her.

That's when things went wrong. Alice's vision would begin to play in my mind. I was in the Volturi castle with Bella. She wouldn't look at me and I was on my knees begging her to take me back.

"Bella please, I love you. I have always loved you. I lied in the forest, I knew it was the only way you would let me go so you could live a normal life." My vision self said in a desperate voice.

"Edward, look at yourself. You're pathetic. I don't want you anymore. It hurt at first, when you left, but now I realize that that was probably the best thing you could have ever done for me." Her words repeated in my mind, killing me everytime I heard them.

"Just let me go Edward, while you still have some dignity." She said in a cold voice as she walked away from my lifeless form.

_Edward, give me a break. You are killing me with your emotions, literally. I feel suicidal._ Jasper pleaded.

I knew this was unfair to Jasper. It was bad enough that I had to feel my emotions, Jasper shouldn't have to deal with them too.

'Passengers, please buckle your seatbelts. We will be landing soon in Rome.' A nasaly voice said over the intercom.

I buckled the belt and closed my eyes to wait until we landed. Just an hour before I could see Bella. My eyes snapped open the moment the plane landed.

I was in such a rush to get my belt off that I accidently ripped in half. I was happy that the part of the plane we were on had only a few people on it. I quickly disposed of the belt before the anyone would notice.

I had to remind myself not to run at vampire speed off the plane. I quickly got my lugage from the gate and got the car we would be using for our stay in Italy, a silver Jaguar 2009 xf. If I wasn't going through a rollercoaster of emotions I would have been drooling over the car.

When my family finally came out of the airport and got in the car, I sped down the road, counting down the minuted until I reached Bella.

An hour later, we reached Volterra. It took minutes for me to navigate the car to a parking lot next to the business that the Volturi used as their homebase.

I was about to run in to find Bella when Carlisle put his hand on my arm. "Edward, maybe you should wait until we pay our respect before trying to find her. You don't know where she is right now."

I knew he was right so I stayed with my family as we made our way inside. The receptionist at the desk motioned us back when we gave our name. When we reached the giant oak door we paused to look at Alice to see if it was safe to enter.

We pushed the door open when she nodded and made our way up to the throwns in the middle of the room. We all bowed to the three rulers of the vampire community and waited for Carlisle to speak.

"Carlisle, it's been to long. I haven't seen you in centurys. Are you staying for the ball for my daughters first century?" He said as he hugged Carlisle.

"Of course Aro. We wouldn't dream of missing it." Carlisle replied. It wasn't like we had any choice, absence was punished by death.

Before I could stop myself I blurted out, "May I speak to Bella." I watched Aro as turned toward me and smiled.

"I'm sorry Edward, but my daughter is out on an extended trip at the moment and won't be back before the ball." I couldn't stop the feeling of utter despair that washed through me when he said she wasn't here.

"Oh, almost forgot. I see you haven't changed your hunting habits so you must want to go hunting. The castle has changed abit since you've last been here. I'm sure my daughter will be happy to show you the new way." He said in a business tone.

"I thought you said Bella was out." Carlisle said in a confused voice.

"Not Bella. I have another daughter named Antera. I call her now." He motioned to a guard who slipped out of the room and returned minutes later with a pretty girl with long auburn hair. I was shocked when I saw that her eyes were a butterscotch gold.

Her eyes went over all of us before falling on me. She walked to Aro before dipping her head slightly and asking, "Father what do you wish of me?"

I was shocked when I heard her voice. Even for a vampire it was beautiful. I was captivated by the sound.

"Darling, I would like for you to escort our guest to the tunnel that lets them leave the city to hunt." He said as he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She nodded to him quickly before turning back to us and saying, " If you'll follow me." She started to run at vampire speed, down twist and turns before stopping at a large door.

"This is the door out. Be sure to hide the hole after you use it. If you need me just call." She was about to leave before I realized something I had missed.

"Wait," I called before she could leave. She turned back to me with an unreadable look on her face." I just realized that I can't read your mind."

"Like my sister, I am a shield. I can block most powers." She said before turning and running back the way we had come.

**A/N So how did you guys like it. Did you catch the hint? Be sure to review and vote on the poll on my profile it closes Saturday at noon. I will update when the poll closes.**


	4. Thinking of Antera

**Thinking of Antera**

**A/n Hey guys! I know it's been awhile, but I've had alot on my plate. Someone in my family is very sick. I'm trying to update my story's now. I got many messages on the subject of Antera and Edward. No I can't kill her. She is a key part of the story. Just trust me and keep an open mind. And to put afew of you at ease I am a major Edward and Bella supporter. **

**Please read!**

**If anyone has been to Italy please send a tell to me because I can't update again until I find out more about Italy.**

**Edwards POV**

Ah, the thrill of the hunt. It was one of the best parts of being a vampire. As I had once told Bella long ago, I loved mountain lions.

The one perk of Volterra was that their was always an overabundance of mountain lions. I had just caught two when I heard Alice gasp. Jasper was beside her in seconds holding her to him when he felt her emotions.

I turned around to see a horrified expression on her face. I tried to get a glimpse in her mind, but only managed to see Antera before Alice blocked her mind.

Why would she block her mind from me, and what did it have to do with Antera? I looked at her with a confused expression on her face. The only times she did this was when she knew I wouldn't react well.

By the this time the rest of the family had reached Alice and were asking her what she had seen. During their interrogation, she just looked at me with a hurt look on her face.

"Alice why are you blocking your mind from me?" I asked as I walked toward her. I stopped when she started to take steps back to keep the space between us.

She didn't say anything for awhile, but when she did, her words froze me in place. "Edward how could you do that to Bella?" She didn't wait for my answer, she just ran away.

I looked after her before turning back to the rest of my family who had confused expressions on their faces that matched mine. It took what felt like hours, but was really only minutes for someone to break the silence.

Wouldn't it just be my luck who that would be? Rosalie. Oh joy.

"What did you do now Edward?" She asked in an accusing tone. I looked at her and shruged showing that I was at a lose just like the rest of them. She just kept staring at me with the same accusing look.

"Maybe you should go talk to Alice." Esme suggested. I was about to disagree when I saw the look in her eyes. It hurt her when her family fought. I didn't want to be the cause of her pain again, so I just nodded and ran off to find Alice.

An hour later I found her in a tree, sobbing tearlessly. Alice had always been my favorite sister and it hurt me to see her like this.

"Al, what's wrong? What did I do?" I asked as I climbed the tree to sit next to her. She scooted away a little bit, but didn't leave the branch.

"It's not what you did, but what you're going to do. I thought you said you loved Bella." She said in a bitter tone, looking anywhere but at me.

Her words confused me, so I said the only thing I was sure of. " I do love Bella. More than anything." She just kept shaking her head.

"Then why do I keep seeing this?" She asked as a vision played through my head. It shocked my into silence.

Antera and I were sitting in a tree, like the one Alice and I were in now. It looked like we were talking, but I couldn't hear what we were saying. Then the shocker happened. I leaned in, bringing our lips together. We remained like that for what seemed like hours. Then the vision cut off.

"I would never do that to Bella." I said in a determined tone when I could finally speak again. Alice had a disbelieving look in her eyes as she looked at me.

"I hope for once my visions are wrong." She finally said before jumping down from the tree. "Are you going back to finish hunting?" she asked.

I didn't have to answer for her to know that I had made up my mind to go back to the castle. I had alot to think about and I was going to need some time to myself.

She had just started to turn to run back, when I called, "And Alice, please don't tell anyone else what you saw. I will change that future." She nodded once before running off.

I waited for a minute after she left before jumping from the tree and running back to the concealed door. I opened the door and headed to my room. Even though we hadn't been here in centurys, Aro kept rooms for us in hopes that we would join the guard.

I sat on the couch in silence trying to gather my thoughts. I knew that I loved Bella and would do anything for her to take me back. But Antera. There was something about her. I was attracted to her and I felt a strange connection to her, but did I feel anything more?

I was pondering these thoughts when I heard a slight knock on the door. I walked to the door while I continued sorting through my thoughts and feelings.

I wasn't really paying attention to the thoughts of the person at the door, which I really should have. Maybe if I knew who it was I wouldn't have opened the door. Maybe things would have turned out differently, but maybe not. I guess I'll never really know what would have happened, if things would have turned out differently.

I turned the handle and was about to welcome the person who was waiting when I saw who it was. I just stared in shock at the sight before me.

**A/N I know cliffie. At ten reviews I'll update. If not then the next chapter will be up by Friday night. Please review. And don't hate me. It's all relevant. Remember I need to talk to someone who knows about Italy. Speacial sneak peek at the next chapter to all who review.**


	5. Tour of Italy

**Tour of Italy**

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews guys. Ok don't hate me, but I got the ten reviews Wendsday. I got sick though and couldn't update. So here it is. Thanks to those who gave me ideas of Italy. I couldn't get as many specifics as I wanted so alot of this is made up. I'm sorry, but I must ask for ten reviews again. I don't want to feel like I'm wasting my time on this.**

**P.S. I'm thinking about changing the rating to M. Any thoughts?**

**Edward's point of view**

I opened the large wooden door to my room. I was shocked by who I saw standing there. Antera was standing right in front of me, looking like she didn't want to be there.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in confusion. Even if I couldn't read her mind, I got the impression that she didn't like me. Alice's vision immediatly came to mind, but I pushed it back.

"I was wondering if you would be interested in a tour of Italy?" she said. I was once again struck by the sound of her voice. It was like the sound of the sweetest music mixed with bells tinkling. Something about made my dead heart flutter.

I immeadiatly looked down, the last person who's voice affected me like this was Bella. Sadly looking down was the wrong thing to do for it put the rest of her body in view. She was gorgeous, and that was the problem.

She was wearing a green Italian Renaissance dress that accentuated her curves while still hiding her figure from view. I wondered what she looked like under the dress. As soon as the thought entered my head I snapped my gaze back to her face. I had to get my mind off of her body, so I asked the first question that popped into my mind.

"Why do wear renaissance dresses?" She looked at me in confusion for a moment. I thought back to what she had said before my inappropriate train of thought to see how far off topic I had gone and mentally slapped myself. I didn't think she was going to answer.

"Aro likes for us to wear them. He says it makes us closer to him." She said after another embarrasing moment.

"You talk like you're not that close to him?" I questioned, hoping that she would forgett about my earlier embarrasment.

"I'm closer to Bella. We know everything about each other. She's my only real family." She said in a far away voice, as if she was thinking about something else.

"You still must be close to the Volturi. They changed you. You must have a bit of loyalty?" I asked. Her answers only brought me more question.

"Bella created me. She is the only family I have ever had." She said in a tone that clearly ended the discussion. "Now do you want the tour or not?"

"Yes, I would love for you to show me around Italy." I said quickly, before she could change her mind. I needed to ask her more questions, like why did Bella change her? When was she born? Why did the Volturi keep her?

She merely nodded before turning and walking down the hall with me following close behind. After 5 minutes of twisting and turning, I decided it was safe to ask another question. "How long have you been a vampire?"

"It will be 65 years soon." she said not looking at me. "It is a cloudy day so I thought we could enjoy Venice."

I nodded my head. At this moment I would agree to anything as long as I could continue questioning her.

We finally reached a door that lead to an alley on the other side of the city. She turned around to look at me for a moment before saying, "We'll be running to get there, so try to keep up."

"I think I can manage." I replied in a teasing tone. She smiled at me before taking off running down the alley with me in pursuit.

We ran for an hour before reaching the outskirts of Venice. I had always wanted to visit Venice, but my family thought that it was too dangerous to be in Italy more than we had to.

She took me to many historical and beautiful sights, the most memorable being Basilica de san Marco and Palazzo Ducale. She wouldn't tell me what the last location was we were going to though.

"Where could we possibly be going at night?" I asked as we walked down the walkway we had turned on. We had had alot of fun today. We shared many of the same intrest and had the same sense of humor.

"It's a suprise. You'll love it, just trust me." She said as she laughed at my impatience again. Her laugh was so beautiful.

She turned down an alley connecting our street to the next. She turned to give me a mischevious smile before running at human speed down the next street. I laughed as I ran to catch up. I finally caught her on a bridge.

I grabbed her around the waist to keep her from running away again. She twisted around to look at me. The moment our eyes met we both froze. We were connected again. I couldn't stop myself from staring at her lips. They were perfect and fit her face perfectly, of all the art I had seen today she was the best.

I started to lean into her, not able to bear the space between us. I'm not sure what would have happened if she hadn't taken a step back. "We should hurry. You wouldn't want to miss the next attraction." She said in a breathless voice.

We turned and walked off the bridge with about a foot between us. I was silent as I thought of what had just occured. I didn't know what I was going to do about her, but I knew I couldn't stop seeing her.

After a couple more minutes she stopped walking. "We're here." she said as she made her way toward the bottom of the bridge. I noticed that there was a gondala docked there.

She talked to the driver for a moment before motioning for me to get in. We sat together in the front as we rode through the canals. I was shocked by the beauty of the city lights.

"Do you like it?" she said in a hesitant voice. I looked over at her to tell her it was perfect, but froze when I saw her. The lights of the city made her face shine. She watched my face for a moment, before laughing at the expression on my face.

"It's perfect." I assured her when I got my voice an hour of touring the city at night we exited the gondala and made our way back to Volterra. We had a companionable silence as we walked.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" She asked, breaking the silence. I thought for a minute before answering.

"Well we have three days before the ball, so nothing." She looked down after I answered. "Why did you ask?"

"I was just wondering if you would like to go to a club with me?" She said looking me in the eye again. I was once again speachless, so I just nodded. She seemed more at ease after my acceptance. "It's a different type of club so the only thing you have to do is wear a mask."

By this time we had reached my room. I looked down at her to see her looking at me too. "Bye Antera." I said.

"Bye Edward." She seemed to be having an internal struggle. I was shocked when she stretched on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek before running down the hall.

It took me awhile before I was able to move again. I turned to open my door only to freeze again when I saw who was waiting for me inside.

"We have to talk. NOW!"

**A/N Another cliffie! Who is it? If you have any questions feel free to ask. Remember either ten reviews or you have to wait for Friday. Thanks for all the support. At the end of the story I will include all the hints I gave about the end. Please review and tell if you want it to be rated M.**


	6. The Talk

**The Talk**

**A/N You guys are awesome. I love you all. I am now officially hoping to have 100 reviews by the end of the story. Hope you guys like this chapter I worked hard on it. I am also looking for a beta so if anyone wants to tell me.**

**Edwards point of view**

_"We need to talk. NOW!"_

I was shocked by the outburst. Jasper was never one to yell. He was usually so in control of his emotions.

"What about, Jasper?" I asked in a wary tone. I didn't know what I had done to warrant his hostility.

"Edward, I don't pry into your business. I don't want to know what you do. But when what you do causes Alice pain, so much that she breaks down drysobbing on the floor, then I will step in." During his rant he had started to pace.

My eyes followed his quick movements as he prowled from one side of the room to the other before suddenly coming to a halt in front of me. I heard the anger in his mind. Not only did he have to watch Alice cry, but he also had to feel her emotions.

"Why is she crying Edward? What did you do?" He asked in a menacing voice. He was staring me straight in the eye. It was getting harder to read his thoughts as the predator started to take over.

"How do you know that it's something I did?" The moment the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back. I was just adding fuel to the fire. He glared at me before replying.

"Oh, I don't know Edward. Maybe it's because every few seconds she yells your name." He was getting really angry now. I reached my power out to find Alices mind. I saw that she had had a vision of Antera kissing me on the cheek.

"Because she thinks I'm falling in love with Antera." I finally answered with a sigh. Seeing her had reminded me of our date, which caused me to feel joy, then confusion mixed with misery at the joy. I didn't even want to dechiper my emotions.

"Edward easy on the emotions. Even a vampire can't endure this." Jasper said bringing me back to the present.

"Sorry Jas. I'm just so confused right now. I don't know how to feel." I said trying to explain my feelings.

"I hate to say this, but I think you are in love with Antera. Maybe not as much as you are with Bella, but still part of you does have feelings for her." He backpedalled when he saw the murderous look in my eyes.

"What about her? What do you get from her? She confuses me." I said, hoping for some relief from the mystery that was Antera.

"That's something else I wanted to talk to you about. I didn't notice at first, but when you were out there talking to her I only could feel your emotions. It was like you were by yourself."

I looked at him in confusion. "How is that possible?" Over all the years that Jasper had been a vampire, no one had been able to block their emotions from him.

"The only thing I can think of is that she is an exceptionally strong shield. That may be what caused the Volturi to keep her when they already had a sheild." He explained.

"I have a date with her tomorrow. What do you think I should do?" I asked as I glanced at the door.

"Go on the date, but watch her and try to figure out what she's hiding." He advised me as he opened the door to leave. Something he said bothered me.

"What do you think she's hiding?" I asked semi-afraid of the answer. He just stared at me for a moment before turning around.

"I don't know, but it must be big if she's afraid of her emotions tipping us off." With those final words he walked down the hall, back to Alice.

I quietly closed the door and sank to the floor. I wasn't sure if vampires could get headaches, but I might be the first.

What was I going to do about Antera? Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that Jasper was right. I had fallen for her.

Then a thought entered my mind. If it came to a fight, would I be willing to kill her. Or even watch one of my family members kill her. I couldn't think of a world without her anymore. This was like how I had fallen for Bella.

The mere mention of her name was enough to snap me out of my trance. No matter how much I loved Antera, Bella would always be first in my heart. Until she got back I would do what I could to protect my family, even if it ment hurting Antera.

I didn't see how I would live through this.

**A/N So how did you like it. This was originally suppose to be the club, but then Edward and Jasper took over and made me write their conversation longer. Please review and remember I'm looking for a beta. I'm also thinking of having a little game. If you have a particular word you would like to see in the story, review and send to me. I will try to fit them all in. This was another authors idea, but I wanted to try it. **


	7. La Maschera

**La Maschera**

**A/N Okay here's the update. I am changing the rating on the story to M. I am not sure yet if it will have a lemon or not, but just to be safe. I want to thank everyone who offered to be my beta. I talked to brinna202 and we both agreed that with the way I write and the way we're going with this story it would be more prudent to not have a beta. Sorry. Keep looking for the hints about the plot twist. Please review. **

**IMPORTANT: If there are any words you would like to challenge me to use in the story, please review them or private message me them.**

**Edwards POV**

Tonight was the night. I kept glancing at clock, waiting for Antera to come.

After much begging and pleading, I was able to convince Alice to help me choose an outfit. It wasn't that I didn't have good taste, it was just that I had not been to a club recently, or ever.

She had given me a pair of jeans, a white, buttondown, longsleeve shirt, and a black jacket to go with it. Even though she was mad at my decision to go to the club with Antera, she had to have me look good.

I looked at the clock once more to see it change to ten o'clock. If I hadn't been straining to hear her, I would never have heard the soft nock on the door. I quickly ran over to let her in.

I tried to prepare myself for when I would see her. I felt my jaw drop as I took in her appearance; she was wearing a white dress with black and dark purple shading in all the right areas. It barely came to her upper thigh continueing in transparent tatters to her midthigh.

My emotions were running haywire as raked my gaze over her. Then my eyes settled on her face. She wore a mask that surrounded her eyes and continued to her temples. It looked like butterfly wings, with the colors matching her dress.

As I stared at her, she took in my appearance before smiling. "That'll do nicely. Now just put this on." She handed me a plain black mask with an elastic band that held it in place.

I quickly slipped it on as I followed her down the hall. She manuevered us down halls and tunnels until we came to the drainage pipe exit I had become so familiar with.

She motioned up, signaling me to go first. I jumped through the hole takeing the lid with me. I turned back only to lose control of my jaw again as she jumped through the hole. Her dress was billowing up showing a wonderful view of her black lace underware.

She walked past me and exited the alley, heading across the square. I quickly followed her since I had no clue where we were going. She walked down two more alleys before we came to a crowded street.

People were milling about in masks and club clothes. I saw the club when some of the people ahead of me moved up. _La Maschera_ glowed in neon lights on a building farther up the street.

There didn't seem to be a line, but no one was entering yet. I looked at Antera in confusion. She simply smiled at me and started making her way through the crowd, pulling me with her.

When she reached the door to the club, the bouncer, a red eyed vampire to my shock, unlocked the red chain and bowed to her as we walked in, a crowd following close behind.

She led me to the bar. I watched in fascination as she whispered to the bartender. He disappeared for a moment before returning with two glasses, setting one in front of me and another in front of her.

"Go ahead and drink it. I think you'll like it." She said before taking a sip of her own drink. I could smell the blood in the cup. I sipped it for a second before looking at her in shock.

"How did you know that mountain lion blood was my favorite?" she watched me for a second before replying.

"My fathers keep tabs on your family. Volterra knows everything about all of you." I stared at her in horror this time. It couldn't be possible that Aro would go that far, but then again we were talking about Aro. Her voice brought me out of my thoughts, "Would you like to dance?"

"I don't dance." I said as I started to sip my blood again. It tasted better than regular blood for some reason.

"Scusami. Vuoi ballare, bello?" I snapped my head up when I heard the voice. I glared at the man who was looking greedily at Antera. She looked at him for a moment before turning to me.

"Would you mind?" She asked in a wary tone. She was staring intently at my face. I slowly shook my head, it wasn't my place to stop her from dancing with someone.

"Mi piacerebbe." She took his offered had and walked to the dance floor. A new song was coming on.

I was stunned when she turned her back to him and started grinding in to him. He was holding her hips as she grinded into him. Her pace quickened and slowed with the music.

My vision was turning red as I watched her dance. Her movements were so sensual that I couldn't take my eyes from her. I felt something break off in my hand.

I looked down to see that I had left a hole in the shape of my fingers on the bar. I quickly destroyed the evidence before turning my attention back to her.

My anger ran out of control when I saw him whisper something in her ear and cup her ass. A shocked look ran across her face when she felt him pinch her.

I was already storming toward them. How dare he touch her like that! He would lose that hand. I would feed it to him. I could feel the jealousy take over me completely.

Her gaze snapped up to me when I reached them. Her sensual lips parted as if she was about to say something but stopped when I raised my fist and punched the dog.

**A/N So how did you like it. Here are the meanings for the Italian words. Please review.**

**Scusami. Vuoi ballare, bello?= Excuse me. Would you like to dance, beautiful?**

**Mi piacerebbe= I would love to.**


	8. Barfights and Kisses

**Barfights and Kisses**

**A/N Okay I am having a severe case of writers block. I need ideas. I am thinking of taking a small break to get over my writers block. What do you think. We are close to 100 reviews. I will dedicate a chapter to the 100th reviewer and put in whatever phrase they want in that chapter. By the way I am changing the rating back to T.**

**Edward's POV**

Some part of my mind was screaming at me to not hit the pig. With my anger, I would probably kill him. I did not listen to the sane part of my mind.

My hand shot out of its own accord, coming in contact with his nose and knocking him to the ground. I should have felt something break, but it felt like marble.

I looked down into the dogs eyes to see red. A vampire, what kind of club was this? I quickly looked around the room to see every eye on us, all red.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt something hard hit me in the gut. While I had been looking at the other guests, the dog had gotten up and retaliated.

He kept punching me, not giving me an opening. I felt myself go through something hard, I was too disoriented to see what I had damaged.

He was going to kill me, anyone could see that. He had given in to instincts and he was too good a fighter. I couldn't do anything, but close my eyes and hope it would end quickly.

I felt nothing. He had stopped ripping at me. I opened my eyes to look around. No one was staring at me anymore, instead their gazes were fixed on Antera.

The dog was in pieces in front of her. I only spared a glance at his remains, if he wasn't burned he would be okay, I looked at her in shock. She had saved me.

She stepped over his torso to walk to me. She raked her gaze over my body, assesing the damage, before taking my hand and leading me out of the club.

I let her lead me for awhile, barely noticing when we left the city and came to the dense forests surronding it. She paused beneath a tree and turned to face me.

"Are you okay, Edward?" I was in shock. How could this angel possibly dismember a vampire then wonder if I was alright. I had apparently been silent for too long because she added, "Edward, are you still there?"

I nodded my head a fraction of an inch. She saw and let out a sigh of relief. "I was so scared when he pushed you through the wall."

I kept looking at her, but for different reasons this time. She had admitted that she was scared for me. That had to mean that she at least liked me. Look at me, I was turning into another of the sheeplike males.

"Edward it's really scaring me that you aren't talking." I heard her say. I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts in order.

"Antera, what kind of club was that?" It was the first thing that came to mind.

"A vampire club. I made it. It's solely for vampires and the blood is donated. It keeps them off the street killing people." She said measuring my reaction.

"You own a club?" Was my brilliant response. She nodded her head without breaking eye contact.

"That's why the others think I took out Mitch. They know I don't like my club being damaged." I looked at her in confusion when she said the strange name. She must have noticed my confusion because she explained, "He's a club regular. He's always hitting on me, but he's never been that handsy. He must have been jealous of you."

"Does he have reason to be?" I asked. She looked at me before turning and climbing a tree near us. I quickly followed, desperate to hear her response. We sat on one of the higher branches.

"I love this forest. It's so green and beautiful." I automatically looked around, taking in my surronding.

"Yes, but never answered the question." I reminded her. She looked down, seeming embarresed.

"I will admitt that I am kind of attracted to you." She said in almost a whisper. I raised my hand to brush my fingers across her cheek, raising her face to see her eyes.

"I'm kind of attracted to you too." I whispered. Her eyes widened slightly in shock. Her full mouth parted slightly inviting my eyes to look at them.

I noticed that we were both leaning into one another, but couldn't bring myself to remember why this was a bad thing. Our lips were coming closer together, I could smell her delicious breath. It reminded me of something but I couldn't figure out what.

When her lips touched mine, I was in utter bliss. I moved my lips in time with hers for what felt like hours, before we pulled back. We looked into each others eyes for a few moments before she put her head against my chest, her ear where my heart would have been frantically beating if I was human.

I leaned my back against the tree, content for once in my hundred year agony.

**A/N I know none of you wanted this to happen. But it is important for the rest of the story. Bella Will be coming soon. Remember the hundreth reviewer will get a chapter dedicated to them and any phrase they want in the chapter. Please tell me what you think and if you have any ideas.**


	9. The ball

The Ball

**A/N Hey guys here's the next Chapter. I would like to dedicate the chapter to Tanthalas Cullen****, the lucky 100****th**** reviewer. Her phrase is in here along with waffles, the first word challenge. Please review.**

**Edward's POV**

Antera and I stayed in the tree all night. I asked her questions about her life. I found out so much about her like her favorite human food was waffles and she was afraid of storms. I didn't want our time together to end, but as the sun came over the horizon we made our way back to Volterra.

"Edward, I had a really good time." She said as we got to the drain pipe. I had fallen for her hard.

"Antera, will you go with me to the ball tonight?" I asked in a hopeful tone. She looked up at me with pain in her eyes. I felt my heart tear; nothing should make her feel pain.

"I'm not sure that I'll be going to the ball." She said before jumping down the pipe. I quickly made my way after her.

"Why not?" I asked as we walked down the tunnel. I was confused by her answer. Why wouldn't she celebrate her Bella's birthday with her. Wait, Bella. Oh no, I had forgotten Bella. How could this have possibly happened? A great pain was in my chest as I thought of her. I was a dog.

I was so caught up in my self hatred that I didn't hear her answer until she put her hand on my arm. I felt an electric shock like I had with Bella so many years ago, and it took great will power not to flinch away from the reminder of my unfaithfulness.

"What was that?" I asked in the politest tone I could. She tilted her head at me for a second before repeating.

"I said, it's because the only reason to go would be for Bella and I would most likely not be able to see her all night anyway." Her words struck something.

"Why wouldn't you be able to see her?" I asked as we came to my door.

"She has many admirers. They take up her time." She explained. Her words cut into my heart like a sword. "Goodbye Edward."

"Goodbye Antera." I replied as I walked into my room.

###

I was incredibly nervous as I sat with my family in the giant ballroom of the Volturi. It was close to the time that Bella would appear. The party had been in full swing for an hour and true to her word Antera had not appeared all night. For that I was glad. I needed time to remind myself of my love for Bella.

"Alice how much longer before Bella comes?" I asked for what felt like the millionth time. Alice gave me an annoyed look before getting the signature "blank look" on her face. She came out of it smiling.

"Now." She said simply. We heard horns blaring signaling her arrival. I looked up to see her enter and my mouth dropped in shock. Standing above me was the most beautiful creature in the world.

Her hair was curled in long ringlets cascading down her back. She was dressed in a white renaissance style dress with black embroidery. She looked like an angel.

She walked down the long staircase to stand in front of the brothers. Aro stood signaling everyone to be silent.

"My daughter, you are a beautiful thing. I think no emperor ever received such a gift. The angels weep tonight in jealousy of your beauty. Tonight we come to celebrate our princess. Enjoy." I thought over his words as I tried to make my way over to Bella. They didn't do her justice.

I was almost to her when another vampire tapped her shoulder and asked her to dance. She turned her head slightly, acknowledging that she had seen me before accepting.

I stood, stuck in the middle of the ballroom. I knew I deserved her coldness, but it still hurt. I felt something gently tapping my shoulder.

I turned to see Antera standing in a black dress with white embroidery, the complete opposite of Bella's.

" Edward can I talk to you for a minute?" I nodded my head. I started to follow her out. I looked back at Bella for a moment before I left only to see her watching me with an intent expression on her face. I reluctantly turned back around to follow Antera out into the night.


	10. Secrets Revealed

**A/N Okay a lot of things happen in this chapter. Some of you saw it coming. Hope you like it. Thanks to alicecullenobsessed for providing a special phrase that will be here.**

**Secrets revealed**

**Edward's POV**

I followed Antera out to one of the rose gardens. I noticed that it would be a very romantic spot, but the person I wanted to be with was still inside. I tuned into Alice's mind so that I could keep watching Bella.

Antera suddenly stopped and turned to me. "Edward, I need you to answer this as honestly as you can. Do you love me?"

I was shocked by her question. At first I wanted to deny it, but I soon realized that even though I loved Bella the most part of me did care about Antera.

"I do care about you Antera. But I will always love Bella the most, even if she hates me." I said, hoping that my answer didn't hurt her.

"Why do you think she hates you?" She asked, surprising me.

"My sister Alice can see the future and she saw that Bella was mad at me. I did something horrible to her, even if it was for the right reason." I mumbled the last part to myself.

"Bella told me about that. What do you mean it was for the right reason." She asked, getting an angry edge at the last part.

"I lied to her. I always loved her. I knew she wouldn't let me go, so I told her I didn't want her anymore so she could get on with her life. It was the blackest kind of blasphemy." I said, looking anywhere, but her.

"Edward look at me." She said turning my head to face her. "The lion wasn't masochistic and the lamb wasn't stupid; they were in love."

Her words triggered a memory of another conversation long ago. In a beautiful meadow, with the most beautiful woman in the world sitting beside me. I stared at her face, trying to find the truth.

"How do you know about that?" I asked in a whisper. She smiled sadly at me.

"It's me Edward, Bella." I was stunned her words. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. I had just seen Bella in the ballroom and Antera had been beside me at the time. But, it would explain a lot. Like the feelings I get around her and the way she knew about the lion and the lamb.

"That's not possible," was my brilliant reply. "You look nothing like Bella. Besides, you were both in the same place at once."

"It's my power Edward. My shield is like a mirror. When I meet another vampire with a power, I get the power." She explained. I could only shake my head in denial. "I'll show you."

Right before my eyes she shifted her appearance and was Bella. I still wasn't so sure. I mean it could still be Antera, just with shape shifting powers. I was startled when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

I turned to see the original Bella standing behind me**(I will be calling Antera Antera and Bella Bella so there will be no confusion.). **"How do you explain this?" I asked as I moved my gaze between Antera and Bella. Antera moved next to Bella. I gasped as Bella disappeared.

"Doppelganger." She said smiling at my shocked expression.

"Why do you act like Antera if you're really Bella?" I asked, finally believing her.

"It gave me a chance…. To forget about the pain." She said in a hesitant voice. I took hold of her chin to turn her head to face me.

"Tell me." I took one look in the brown eyes that had captured my heart, and knew that it would be a long story and it wouldn't be happy.

**A/N I know it's short, but it tells you what's been going on and it sets you up for Bella's story. It's not done yet. Bear with me here. Let me know what you think. Review.**


	11. Bella's story

**A/N I'm back. *Hides behind Edward* Please don't be mad. I know that I haven't updated in a long time. Life has been complicated and it's hard to keep up. Here is the next update. I am still willing to do the word challenge. The 160 reviewer gets to be put in the story. Please give the name you would like to use and a look.**

**Bella's Story**

**EPOV**

"It all started when you left," my angel began. I cringed as I remembered the goodbye. "I was really bad off. My parents were worried about me going suicidal or something. My mom offered to take me on a trip to Europe to try to get me to snap out of my depression. I agreed when I remembered that you had ties here."

She paused as she tried to figure out how to continue the story. I tried to keep the pain I was feeling off my face. Her guard had gone done as she told her story and I saw the depression she had been in. I had caused her incredible pain because of my pigheadedness.

"We came to Volterra first. I didn't into the hotel with Renee and Phil, instead I went to look for you." I watched as the scenes unfolded in her mind. "I got lost and ended up at the Palazzo dei Priori. I saw something in the alley next to the clock tower so I went to investigate. That's where I met Felix and Demitri."

A growl escaped my throat. I hated the thought of her in danger. I wanted to run back to the party and rip the two vampires to shreds, even though I knew that Bella made it out alive.

"Felix wanted to dispose of me, but Demitri insisted that they bring me back to the Volturi. Aro was intrigued by me ability to protect my mind as a human and decided to change me." She paused here to look at me, gauging my reaction to the story so far. I couldn't keep in the question that was burning in my mind.

"How was the change?" It escaped my mouth in a whisper. She looked away before answering.

"I was so far gone that I didn't feel the pain." I looked into her mind and a new pain stabbed my chest. The pain of the change was a relief to her. She waited for me to stop grimacing to continue her story.

"I woke up in a strange room. Aro came and asked me what I remembered. I told him that it was imperative that I find you and your family. He showed me the videos of your family, but you weren't with them." She looked at me with confusion.

"I had left them by then. I didn't join them until more recently. After I left you, I'm afraid that I became rather impossible to live with. Besides, I didn't want them to see me fall apart. It hurt them, especially Esme." I explained, embarrassed by my actions.

"He asked me to stay and be the Volturi princess. He wanted to see what would happen to my powers, but knew that I wouldn't join the guard."

"How did you find out about your other powers?" I cut in.

"About 65 years ago, some nomads came to Volterra. One of them had the ability to change their appearance. His name was Anteros. I spent a lot of time with him. He explained his power to me before he left with his companions. I found out soon after that Aro had them killed after they left the city. We got into a fight and I just wanted to be someone else. I was picturing one of the girls Anteros was traveling with. Imagine my surprise when I turned into her."

My heart ached when I heard of Anteros. Had she loved him? Did I dare to ask?

"Was he very important to you?" I asked trying to sound like I didn't care.

"He understood me. I was still in pain and he had been in a similar situation. The vampire that changed him had played with his heart. It was a game to her. She would find new mortal men and make them fall in love with her then change them before leaving them to die. He helped me get out of my depression."

"Did he love you?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"No," she assured me with a giggle, "he was in love with a girl in his coven. She was new, only three years old, but she had the power of self control. She had joined his coven the year before. She's also the one I based my appearance on. She was only 15 when she was changed."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you from the pain you've had to deal with. I would give anything to change the past." I told her, hoping that she would hear the sincerity in my voice.

"Well, you can't the past, but you can be a part of my future." She said staring into my eyes. My dead heart soared at her words. I was consumed by a need to feel her in my arms and have her lips on mine. I could see the want in her eyes too as I leaned toward her, wrapping my arms around her small frame.

The moment our lips met I felt electricity surge throughout my body. Time lost its meaning as we sat and held each other. All too soon, Bella pulled away and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I reached up to pull her back down to me.

"We have to go back before someone comes looking for me us. Besides I want see the rest of your family. It's been too long." She laughed as she pulled me up.

"Our family, if you want it to be." I said as we walked back to the party. She stopped in the middle of the path, pulling me with her.

"What do you mean?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Bella I want you in my family. In whatever capacity you want. I would love for nothing better," I said as I got down on one knee, "if you would do me the honor of agreeing to marry me."

I watched her face hopefully, as shock turned to love on her face.

"Edward, I've had over 100 years to think about what I would do if I was ever in this situation. There was a time when the thought of marriage would have had me running for the hills. But, now I know that I would love nothing more than to be with you for ever. Yes I'll marry you." I pulled from my pocket my mothers engagement ring and slipped it on Bella's finger. I had taken to carrying it when we had gotten to Volterra.

I stood up quickly and pulled her into my arms. After a moment I pulled back.

"Well, let's go tell our family the news." I said as we hurried to the party.


	12. AN Please Read! Important!

**A/N**

**Ok, this is not an update, but the update is coming soon. The lucky person who gets to be put in the story is ****Siobhan () ****so if you could PM me about what you want your character to look like and a line you want put in the story I will put it in the update. Sorry for the long wait, a lot of things have happened lately that have caused me to be in a bad move. If I had written before this I would most likely have killed everyone. I will be replacing this A/N with the next chapter when I get it up.**


	13. We meet again

**A/N Check it out. I'm back! (Hides behind the La Push and Cullen men) I know I have not updated in forever, but life has been hectic with marriage proposals, apologies, my friend being cyberstalked, and my cousin's pregnancy scares. But I'm so happy with how many reviews I've gotten. I'll shut up now and continue the story.**

**We Meet Again**

**B POV. (Better late than never)**

Edward and I were rushing back to the ball to inform his family of our engagement. I couldn't wait to see everyone again, especially Alice. I had missed my family.

We navigated through the dancers and well wishers, Edward never letting my hand go. I saw his family as we pushed through a particularly thick clump of vampires. They were talking to a group of five other vampires who seemed to follow our diet too.

I looked up at Edward to ask if they were the famous Denali coven he had told me of when I was human, only to see him scowl at the table before smiling at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked in concern. He shook his head and leaned into whisper to me.

"Tanya. She has a stubborn belief that she and I should be together. She's about to see that her wish will never be possible. You are the only one for me." He leaned down to kiss me on the lips. It would have lasted longer, but the crowd jostled us.

"Well, shall we go enlighten her to the fact that you are forever off the market?" I asked in a teasing tone. I would feel a great satisfaction letting this Tanya know that Edward was mine.

He smiled down at me before leading me back to the table his family and their guests were seated at. Before we reached it, Alice looked up from the conversation she was having with a beautiful vampire that looked Spanish. She took one look at Edward's arm around my waist before jumping up from her chair and running up to hug us.

"Bella! Where have you been? I missed you so much. I love your dress! Thank you for taking Edward back! You two will be so happy together, I just know it!" She said all of this so fast that, even with my vampire abilities, I had a hard time understanding her.

"I missed you too, Alice!" I said as I hugged her back. I had missed Alice the most after Edward. She took a step back to look at us before turning her head to look at Edward. I could imagine what she was asking.

"You'll have to ask Bella all of that Alice," he said, never taking his eyes off of me. I looked up at him for a moment before looking over Alice's shoulder to see the rest of the Cullens looking at me in shock. I smiled at them before looking back at Alice.

"I have much to tell you all," I said with the smile still on my face. She smiled back before replying, "I have a lot of time"

She led me to the table, introducing me to the Denali coven. When she introduced Tanya, I couldn't resist marking my territory. I leaned up to kiss Edward quickly, but it ended up lasting longer than I expected. We were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"Get a room," Emmett laughed from his seat beside Rosalie. If I was still human I would have been blushing, but instead I said, "Em, I remember seeing you do much worse in public."

Emmett looked shocked for a moment before breaking down laughing. "Little sister still has spunk," he said as he reached over to hug me, "I missed you Bells."

"I missed you too Em," I said. "I missed all of you," I added as I looked around the table. Esme and Carlisle smiled at me before giving me a hug and I was shocked when Rosalie smiled and waved at me from across the table.

One girl from the Denali coven, Kate, said, "We've heard so much about you Bella. It is good to finally meet you. I wish our other sister was here to meet you, but she is with her mate, hiding somewhere." I liked her, her mate Garrett, Carmen, and Eleazer immediately. Tanya kept glaring at me, obviously not a very good sport.

"Bella, would you mind telling your story before my wife combusts?" Jasper laughed. I was surprised, Jasper never seemed like he liked me. I guess it was easier around me now that I wasn't a walking blood bank.

"Well first off, I guess I should tell you all that here I also go by Antera." There was a collected gasp of shock from the table, except for Alice who let out a high pitched squeal. The table stared at her in shock.

"What? I'm just happy that Edward didn't really cheat on Bella," she explained. I smiled at her before telling them my story.

"Wow. So now you're immune to all powers and can copy them?" Rosalie asked in an awed tone. I smiled (I seemed to be doing that more and more) before nodding my head.

"And now you and Edward are engaged!" Alice squealed. "You have to let me plan the wedding!" Figures that that would be the part she would stick on.

"First we have to do something extremely dangerous," I said looking at Edward. He gave me a confused look. "We have to tell my fathers."


	14. Dangerous Affairs

**Dangerous Affairs**

**A/N So I finally came back. I'm so sorry for taking so long, but my grandmother died and I had finals to study for. I was also writing on my own stories that I hope will someday be published. Well I'll let you get to reading about the happy couple's parent confrontation now.**

**Bella POV**

Edward gripped my waist tightly as we wormed our way through the thick crowd to reach the dais my fathers were on. I laughed softly to myself as I thought of the irony. The man didn't break a sweat when up against a sadistic vampire or Alice, so what ails him? Talking to my fathers.

I unlocked his fingers from my hip with the hand that wasn't around his waist and pulled him to a stop in the middle of the dance floor. When he glanced down at me to see what was wrong, I slipped onto my toes to quickly press my lips against his. He smiled down at me before letting his eyes shift nervously to the dais.

"What's wrong Edward? I've never seen you so afraid. You've talked to my fathers before, so why are you nervous now?" I asked as I raised my hand to his hair. I loved the soft, feathery feeling of it against my fingers and it seemed to calm him down a bit.

"I'm sorry love, but I can't help it. I've talked to them as the Volturi, but never as your fathers. By definition, that means they will hate me no matter what," he said as he raised his fingers to my cheek. I laughed at his answer, but didn't deny his words. My fathers probably wouldn't like it that Edward and I were now engaged.

"Edward, I'll be with you the whole time. I promise that I won't let them harm a single hair on your head. I love you too much to let anything happen," I tried to reassure him. He left out a sigh and turned to start walking again to the dais.

I trailed behind him, thinking on his worries. What would my fathers do when they found out? Marcus would probably be happy that I had found someone to share eternity with so that I wouldn't share his face. He had never been truly happy since he had lost Didyme. Caius would no doubt be angry and try to harm Edward. I'd have to watch him to make sure he didn't try anything. Aro was unknown variable. I couldn't count on if his reaction would be good or bad.

Aro might see Edward and my match as a way to unite the Volturi with the Olympic Coven. On the other hand, he might see it as a trick for the Cullens to gain more power. If he thought that they wanted his thrown, they wouldn't make it to the city limits.

I shook my head to try to rid myself of these thoughts. I would protect the Cullens no matter what happened, even if I had to betray those that I now considered family. I was shaken from my musings when I felt something pulling me. Looking down, I noticed that we had reached the dais and stopped in front of it.

When I looked up, I saw three pairs of curious eyes watching Edward and I, each showing different emotions. Marcus was looking at something invisible between Edward and I and smiling a sad smile, no doubt seeing the bond between us. Caius was glaring at Edward's arm around my waist, probably wishing that looks could kill. Aro's eyes were trained on our intertwined hands with a look of interest.

"Brothers, I believe that Bella has news for us," Marcus said in an unnaturally exited tone. Aro raised his eyes from our hands to Marcus before bringing them back to me. He nodded at me to give them my news. Well here goes nothing.

**Marcus POV (Shocking, I know!)**

My eyes flashed excitedly between Bella and the Cullen boy. Bella had often told me about this boy and the pain he had caused her. Though I had spent these past hundred years wishing to have the opportunity to end this boy for the pain he caused my daughter, I had also been intrigued by her feelings for him.

She spoke of him with such devotion and longing that it was apparent that no matter what he did, she would love him forever. The only other time I had seen that much love was between Didyme and me. When Bella told us her story, a strange bond had formed between us, something stronger than anything Aro could make people believe he shared with her. We had both lost our reasons for living and didn't want to be in a world without them.

As I took in the young lovers stances, wrapped around each other, as if seeking protection from any outside force that might come at them, I prayed they would have the happy ending denied to me. Slowly and with great effort, Bella extracted herself from the Cullen boy's hold and walked closer to the stage.

"I wish to ask permission for me to marry Edward Cullen," she asked in a meek voice with her head lowered. A low growl rumbled from the boy's chest, but it was instantly silenced by a glare from my daughter. Ah, true love, the ability to know when to shut up with a single look from your mate.

I turned to look at Aro to see how he was taking the request. I didn't want to deny Bella the chance at love, but I knew that the choice was ultimately up to Aro and that I would have to follow his decision even if I disagreed. His face was carefully blank as he looked down at the two. He waited a moment before saying anything.

"I don't know why you bother to ask us as you don't seem to care what we think. You already accepted his proposal. Such disrespect to the people kind enough to raise you and give you everything," he growled in a menacing voice. I stomach turned as his carefully blank face changed to a look of intense anger. This would not end happily.

**A/N Yes! Another evil cliffhanger. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the look into Marcus' head. Yes he will be key later on. Review and tell me what you think or if you just want to talk. My friends say I'm kind of crazy, but they seen to find it amusing. Let's try to reach 200 reviews! I will try to update more often.**


	15. Politically Correct

**Politically Correct**

**A/N What is this? An update so soon! Yes, yes it is. My internet was not up so I had to do something with my time. So, read then review to tell me what you think. I hope to reach 300 by the end of the story so help out. By the way if you review I'll give you a sneak peak at the summary of a new story I'm working on. One last thing, the reason this story is going so fast is because Bella and Edward haven't seen each other for 100 years. They have wanted to be together for that long, but don't worry problems will arise for the couple. Now read.**

**Bella POV**

I stared up at my fathers with horror in my eyes. This was what I had feared most, that Aro would see our union as treason and punish us. My thoughts drifted to the other Cullens. They wouldn't be spared Aro's anger, but be treated as accomplices. I wouldn't let them be hurt because of my past mistakes.

Taking a step forward, I started to voice my objections, but stopped when my eyes fell on Marcus. He shook his head so slightly that I might have missed it had I not been looking. I quickly shielded him before reading his mind (Thanks Edward). (**Bold is Marcus)**

**Bella, don't go against him. It will only anger him further and enforce whatever he thinks you are doing. Bow out gracefully and bide your time, you can prove your case later when he has a clear head.** I took a deep breath before giving a slight nod of my head. Marcus had been a good friend and I trusted his judgment. Now I just had to figure out how to get us out of here in one piece.

"Father, I'm sorry about making a choice without your permission," I began carefully. I had to show respect and loyalty while still showing that this was something that I needed. "I respect your opinions and would be grateful to have your advice on this choice."

Edward's head whipped in my direction. His eyes showed hurt, confusion, anger, and sadness. I turned back to my fathers knowing that I had to maintain my detached air and stay political. I would just have to hope that Edward wouldn't interrupt me and let me explain myself later. I noticed that Aro's eyes had shifted to Edward at his sudden movement. I had to get his attention back to me.

"As I was saying, I respect your decision, but I feel that this is a conversation left for a better time. Please allow yourself time to think on this proposition and allow us time to discuss later, perhaps when less people are around," I finished, glancing at the surrounding vampires that had started to drift closer.

Aro quickly glanced around before motioning to Jane. She glanced at one of the vampires who had drifted closer. The moment her eyes landed on him, he started screaming from the intense pain she was making him think he felt. I quickly averted my eyes away from the scene to Edward who had a look of disgust on his face as he looked from the screaming vampire to Jane before stopping on my fathers.

"So, you think that I am incapable of making decisions now." Aro stated in a deadly voice. He hadn't once looked at the vampire that was screaming. He lifted his hand calmly, prompting Jane to stop the torture she was inflicting. The moment she looked away, the screaming stopped, leaving the room in absolute silence. I had to tread carefully now, Aro would never show court business to outsiders unless he was very angry.

"That is not what I meant at all father. I simply want you to be able to bask in your greatest triumph," I reply carefully. At my words, the anger in his eyes changed to curiosity. Inside I was doing a happy dance. I had him, he could never resist glory and if this was going to work I had to make him think it was in his best interest.

"And why would this be my greatest triumph dear Isabella?" Aro asked. His endearment calmed me inside as I knew that I was back in his good grace. I attempted to connect our minds; a power I had received ten years ago from a nomad passing through, but was stopped by Aro's raised hand. "No Isabella, I think everyone will want to hear your reasoning for this."

My stomach started to churn. Maybe I wasn't back in his good graces yet. I glanced quickly toward Marcus, hoping for assistance. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling then down to the floor, our signal that he had thought of something. I let myself into his mind, praying that whatever plan he had would work.

**Play up the connection to the Cullens. He has always wanted to have their powers added to the guard. He will be more agreeable to the match if he thinks he can add them to his ranks.** I closed my eyes after the message. They would feel that I betrayed them if I explained it like this, but it was the only way to make sure they didn't get hurt.

"Well you have always wished for a stronger alliance with the Olympic Coven, correct. This could be a way to provide a closer tie, perhaps one that will bring a willingness to join our family," I say in a deceptively calm voice. I didn't dare to look at Edward or any of the other Cullens, through Jasper's power I could feel their betrayal and anger.

"You make an excellent point my child. Truly you are more like me everyday," Aro said with pride in his voice. I could feel his excitement at the prospect of his dream finally becoming a reality. Relief spread through me at the prospect of making it out of this without punishment. "We will discuss this more later. Perhaps even set a date!"

"Thank you for understanding fathers," I replied in my calm voice. Aro looked immensely pleased while Marcus looked relieved that we had made it out of this unscathed. When my eyes fell on Caius, my dead heart seemed to freeze. The look on his face was a mix between anger and triumph. I had to get everyone out of here quickly. "If you'll excuse us, I'll take the Cullens back to their chambers."

I had turned and grabbed Edward's hand to start to drag him away when Caius' voice drifted over the silent crowd. "Wait, not yet. Brother I don't believe that Isabella should go unpunished. After all it sets a bad example for the rest of the guard."

I turned back to see Aro with a contemplative look on his face. "You have a good point Caius, but what do you suggest?" I peeked into Caius' mind, hoping to see whatever plan he had. I let out a horrified gasp at his thoughts.

"Why brother, isn't it obvious. We certainly don't need all of the Cullens and Isabella has proven that they a very precious to her," he said with a cruel smile on his face. In his mind Rosalie and Esme's faces ran through his mind. He left out Carlisle's because he knew that Aro had a fondness for him.

"That is a wonderful idea Caius. It will be a good lesson for Isabella to learn," Aro said lifting his hand to signal the guards to attack. My reaction was purely on instinct, not allowing my mind to get in the way. I rushed through the crowd, reaching the Cullens before the guard could.

They were already seated in a corner, the most defendable position in the room. I turned quickly to face our attackers and knelt into a crouch, baring my teeth to the guards that were descending on us. Aro and Caius had stood from their thrones with anger plain on their faces

"Treason," seethed Aro. "I knew that they would pull you away from us. You have more loyalty to them then your own family!" He screamed.

His tirade had diverted my attention from the guard, allowing Felix a swipe at me. Pain went through my shoulder from his hit, but I managed to push him back with the rest of the guards. I watched as they slunk closer to us, waiting for me to let my guard down. Fear reverbrated through the minds of my family. I lowered myself back into a crouch and prepared to fight for all of our lives. There would be no mercy this time.

**A/N Ooh lots of drama this time. Sorry about the cliffhanger again, but they are my forte. Please review and tell me what you think of my story, I really do care about what you think and I get bored during summer vacation. Plus reviews get me to write quicker and more. So press the button, you know you want to.**


	16. the agreement

**A/N Yes this is another update. I did not wait a year after a bout of updating. I am getting a schedule. Well you guys probably want to know what happened next so lets go. Remember, we want to get to 300. Back to the mayhem.**

**BPOV**

The guard kept inching closer, trying to close us in. I kept my eyes on them all, knowing that all of them were deadly in battle. I felt the other Cullens drop into crouches alongside me. Our numbers were better with all eight, but still we were no match for all the guards.

My eyes flickered to Marcus, hoping for some help. He had a pained expression as he watched the guards descend. I connected to his mind quickly, hoping to see a plan. **Help! Please Marcus! Do anything! **His eyes locked with mine for a moment showing me pain and sadness before something quickly passed through them.

Before I could look deeper into his mind to see what he had come up with, Felix attacked. He ran at me before throwing his arm out in an attempt to grab my head, but I managed to duck and kick him quickly in the back. Felix fell into the now abandoned table before getting up and attacking Jasper. I turned quickly knowing that Jasper was skilled enough to handle Felix.

My eyes settled on Demetri as he stalked forward to take Felix's place. We circled each other twice before he took one step forward. Before anything else could happen, a loud voice broke out, "STOP." Every eye in the room snapped to Marcus who was standing in front of his throne.

Aro's face showed curiosity at the interruption while Cauis showed anger. "Marcus, what is the meaning of this?" Aro asked calmly. Marcus caught my eye before turning to his brothers. He held his hand out to Aro who took it quickly, closing his eyes. When his eyes flashed open seconds later, they showed excitement.

"What a wonderful idea Marcus, and so appropriate too," Aro mused to Marcus before raising his voice slightly. "Isabella, it has been decided that you may have one more chance to redeem yourself and save your friends. Do you accept this offer?"

My stomach turned slightly. These deals were Aro's specialty, he loved to make people agree to things before they knew the consequences. I looked to Marcus hoping for some sign of what was to come. He simply stared at me in silence before giving a slight nod of his head.

"I accept," I whispered softly. Aro smiled quickly before turning to whisper with Caius and Marcus. After a few minutes, they all turned back to us.

"Very well," Aro said. "You will take the six tasks." Every member of the guard let out an audible gasp. My eyes widened the moment the words were out of his mouth. Every guard member knew that the tasks were every vampire's nightmare. They were absolutely lethal.

"We will each give you two tasks that you will have to complete. If you complete them all, you and the Cullens can go free. If you fail even one, you all die," he continued. I heard all the Cullens gasp, but ignored them as I nodded my head. This was the only way for all of us to get out of this.

"Tomorrow the trials begin. Everyone is dismissed. NOW!" he shouted the last word as the vampires fought their way out of the room, not daring to enrage Aro again. I bowed swiftly before grabbing Edward's hand and motioning for the Cullens to follow me. We exited the throne rooms and made our way back to the Cullen's quarters.

When we crossed the door, Edward pulled me to a stop, forcing me to face him and his family. "What just happened?" he asked in an angry tone. I looked at his family who had looks ranging from confusion, anger, sadness, and fear.

"I did what I had to do to protect us all! They would have killed us if I hadn't made Aro believe that our marriage was in his best interest," I said, matching his anger. He had no right to yell at me about this. I just saved his life.

Before he could yell at me again, Alice stepped in, probably knowing that I would become violent soon. "What are the trials he was talking about?" she asked as everyone looked at me with interest.

"The trials are a form of testing that the brothers use. They are rather dangerous, so they aren't used often. I guess they thought that this was a special situation," I said, trying to keep them calm and downplay the danger.

"No! You are not doing this! It is too dangerous," Edward shouted. Anger bubbled inside of me. He had no right to tell me what to do. I let him in my head for a moment so he could see my rebellious thought. "I have every right to tell you what to do, Bella. I am your fiancé and I would like for you to exist when we get married!"

"Well, there is a simple solution to this Edward. I don't want to marry you anymore!" I shouted as I ran from the room. I heard shouts from behind me, but didn't stop. I quickly came to the only place I felt safe. I knocked on the door and waited for the answer.

**A/N My greatest cliffy ever! Enjoy, but please don't kill me. If you kill me, the story won't finish. So Review, tell me what think, Trials are in next chapter and a surprise.**


	17. Trial by Fire

**A/N So I was very bored today so I managed to write this out. Hope you like it and if you have any suggestions on what the tasks should be send them in a review. I might use some.**

**EPOV (He has to tell his side of things sometimes.)**

I stared after Bella as she ran from me, feeling my heart break inside my chest. I knew that I deserved her anger; I had overreacted and underestimated her again. I should have known that she would never betray me or my family and I could put my concerns for her safety a little better.

I turned back to my family, waiting for them to let me have it. They all just looked back at me with sadness in their eyes and pity in their thoughts. After a few seconds, Alice took a small step forward and held out her hand to me. **It'll be okay Edward. She didn't mean it, she was just angry. She'll come back.**

I wanted to believe her, but a voice in my head kept saying that this was it. I had finally pushed her too far and she would never forgive me. I shook my head slightly and brushed by Alice and family, back into our suite. Locking myself in the bathroom that was just for show, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked the same as I did this morning except for my eyes which had lost the last bit of hope they held. For once, I really did look dead.

If Bella never forgave me and chose to not stay with me, I would die. I didn't care what I had to do, but I couldn't live in a world where I could never have her. She was my reason for existing and the only reason I had stayed alive, if that's what I am, this long, for the hope that one day we could be together.

For now I would wait to see if Alice was right. If she wasn't, I would only stay alive long enough to make sure that Bella survived her trials and would still be welcome with the Volturi. After I knew she was safe, I would ask Aro to end my life, something he would most likely be happy about since he believed that I was to blame for Bella's rebellion.

I raised my eyes back to the mirror to see that they were no longer dead, but now full of determination. I would keep changing my mind so Alice would not know of my plan and try to stop me. Finally, I would have peace.

**BPOV ( You all would have hated me if I ended it there.)**

It seemed like forever before the door finally opened. Marcus stood their, looking at me with confusion. The confusion quickly turned to concern when he saw the look on my face; if I had been human, I would have had tears running down my face.

He moved away from the door, offering me entrance into his private chambers that even his brothers weren't allowed in. I had often visited him here when I used to remember Edward or my past. I could safely lose control of my emotions without showing weakness to the other guards and Marcus could often provide council and empathy with my pain.

**Bella, what's wrong?** He asked silently. I turned to look at him, allowing my last wall to crumble. I knees lost all their strength, dropping me to the ground in the middle of the room. The sobs that I had been holding in since I left Edward finally broke through, echoing loudly in the bare room. I wished that I could go back to the time when I was numb, when I could forget everything and just exist.

I felt Marcus' hand rubbing my back and his concern radiating off him. When I managed to calm down enough to say anything, the only thing that kept repeating was "what have I done?"

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked, once again showing confusion. I couldn't get the words out of my mouth so I connected our minds so he could see everything that happened after I left the council chamber. He was silent for a few minutes, allowing me to slowly stop my sobs.

He waited until I was completely silent before saying, "My dear, you have had a stressful day." I smiled slightly at him as he continued. "Don't worry, he'll forgive you. Your relationship is strong, too strong to break up by some angry words. As for the trials, you will excel like you always do."

His words comforted me, but I still was not entirely sure about Edward. "Marcus, it's not just about the fight. It's everything. What if it's just not meant to be between us? What if this is fates way of saying that we're wrong? So much has happened against us and I just don't want to keep getting hurt. Maybe it would just be easier to end things with him, move on."

He stared into my eyes for a moment before sighing softly. "Do you really believe that you can say goodbye to him for good? To the other Cullens? I have felt your connection with each of them, most of all Edward. Giving him up to you would be like giving up your soul, don't let what you have go. If fate says you shouldn't be with him, screw fate!"

I stared at him in shock. I had never heard him swear before. Before I could comment he continued, "You have what everyone wants, your soul mate. Don't give it up just because you're scared because you never know when it will be lost forever." He tailed off on his last sentence and I knew that he was thinking of Didyme.

I reached out to touch his hand. "Hey, it wasn't your fault," he blamed himself for her death and often wondered if he could have saved her. He looked at me for a minute before opening his mouth to say something. A know on the door stopped him.

He got up quickly and walked to the door, opening it quickly to address his guest. "What is it?" he snapped. I managed to see Jane standing in the doorway smiling slightly to herself. Marcus disliked Jane and tried to avoid her as much as she could. She never came to his apartments unless Aro had an urgent message.

"Aro wants to see you in the council room. He also asks for me to take Isabella back to her quarters. He has declared that she can't have contact with anyone until after her first trial tomorrow." Her voice showed her pleasure at the order. She knew that I couldn't fight Aro on this and that for once, he wasn't on my side.

Marcus nodded his head quickly. "Yes, I'll leave now. Don't concern yourself Jane, Isabella can walk to her room by herself, she's a big girl." The sting hit its mark as Jane flinched at the reminder of her young age, but she quickly recovered.

"That may be, but Aro ordered me to escort her, no matter what." This didn't look well for me. He was having me guarded. Marcus gave me a look that probably translated to 'Don't do anything stupid.' I walked quickly out, getting satisfaction as Jane had to run to catch up to me. Tomorrow would prove interesting.

At eight the next morning, another guard member knocked on my door to bring me to the council room. When we entered, I noticed that the only people there were the brothers, the elite guard, and the Cullens. I walked to the center of the room and fell to one knee to show respect and waited for my orders.

"Isabella, you are charged with treason against the Volturi. You have chosen to try to redeem yourself by completing the trials. Considering the special circumstances of this charge we have decided to change some of the rules." My head snapped up at Aro's words.

"Since your act of treason was the acceptance of marriage to Edward Cullen, it has been decided that he will complete three of the tasks." Caius said with glee in his voice. I knew my face betrayed my shock and fear at this new twist, but I couldn't mask it. My eyes slid to the Cullens who all wore expressions of shock and fear, except Edward who was expressionless.

"The first task goes to you Isabella. The task is trial by fire," Marcus said with pain in his eyes. At his words, everyone stood up and started to file out of the chamber to a viewing room. Demitri and Felix came to lead me to the dungeon where I would complete the task.

When I was set at the end of a long corridor that had glass on one side for the viewers, Aro spoke again. "Your task is to make it the other side of the hall." The Cullens looked relieved at the instructions until he continued. "You will have to make it through while the hall is completely covered in flames."

As he completed his sentence, flames shot up from all sides of the room. There was one foot of space between me and a wall of pure fire. This was it, there was no way I could live through this tasks and Aro knew it. I would never get the chance to apologize to Edward or the rest of his family. Maybe they would be spared when I died?

It's official, my life sucks.

**A/N Yes I did it again. But this might just be one of my longest chapters. Hope you enjoy and yes I am evil. Please review for what you think and to suggest trials, I might use one, if Bella lives… Am I that cruel?**


	18. Doppelganger Central

**A/N okay this is an update. You can thank TheRealMadHattress for this because she gave me enough of an ego boost to get up and write. By the way I really need ideas for the tasks. I'll shut up now and let you read.**

**Disclaimer: me: No!**

**Edward:yes**

**Me: I won't admit that I don't own Twilight!**

**Edward: you just did**

**Me: Fine! I don't own Twilight, just the plot of this story and Anterra.**

**B Pov**

I stared at the wall of flames in front of me, wondering who the hell I pissed off to deserve this. Oh, that's right, Aro. There was absolutely no way that I could survive this, the moment that any part of my body touches the flame, I'll go up in smoke. Perfect test to kill a vampire since we're highly flammable.

Wait a minute, that couldn't be right. One small known fact about Aro is that though he is power hungry and vicious, when he plays a game like this he always gives the opposing side a sporting chance. He doesn't see it as fun is the rival has no chance at all. He must know of a way that I could make it out of here alive.

I tried to read his mind to figure out my escape, but he was blocking me by thinking only of a brick wall, a trick he learned when I was younger and tried to use his thoughts against him. Before I became the perfect daughter he desired. I knew from experience that there was no way around this wall and that I would just have to figure this out on my own.

After checking the other brothers minds to make sure that they hadn't realized what my chances were, not likely as Caius was blinded by his need for death and Marcus was too busy worrying about me, I took in my surroundings. The glass that separated me from the vampires viewing the task was too thick for a vampire to break, the brothers had spent a lot of money to fund research into things like that for their enjoyment.

That wouldn't help me, so I looked to the flames themselves. The fire was coming from flamethrowers in the wall directly across from the viewing room. I knew that after this wall of flame, there would be a few feet of free space before the next wall. There were no spouts of flame coming from the roof, but I didn't expect that luck with the other walls, ten in all.

Taking another look at the wall the flame throwers were protected by, my mind snapped with an idea. Of course father would take my powers into consideration for my survival. If I had something standing in the way of me and the flames, I could move past quickly enough to get to the free space without getting burnt.

Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to picture four more of me in the spaces next to me that the fire couldn't touch. When I opened my eyes, I saw four exact replicas standing next to me. I turned my eyes back to the flames, knowing that I wouldn't have a chance to test my theory. Creating doppelgangers took energy, especially if I was sacrificing them.

I would feel the pain they experienced, but I should be able to function enough to reach a safe place to rest for a minute. I looked at my clones, silently telling them the exact time we would have to move for this to be successful.

In perfect tandem, we all moved at the same moment, the clones grouping into a perfect square while running into the flames with me, allowing the fire to engulf them while I made it to the other side. Their screams of pain reverberated through my head while I leaned against the glass slightly when the pain hit me. I wished to scream with them the pain was so intense. I could feel the heat and burns on my skin, making me feel like I was melting.

After a second of deep breathing, I managed to push the pain away to take in the next wall. It was the same as the first, which allowed me to make it through with no problem. The next seven walls were the same, sapping my energy with the pain, but not impossible to get through.

When I reached the tenth wall, I must admit that I expected it to be like the others. I was so wrong. This was Aro's ace for this challenge. Not only was fire coming from the side wall, but it also shot from the roof and the floor, creating an impenetrable wall of flame. I wouldn't be able to pass this the way I had the others.

I looked around me for anything that would help me get through, but there was nothing. I was already weak from the loss of my doppelgangers; I wouldn't be able to create the amount it would take to battle all three walls. Inside I knew that Aro would still have left a chance for me to get through, in the spirit of the game. He knew I wouldn't have enough energy for doppelgangers so which of my powers would allow me to pass?

My mind ran through every power I had ever come across, hoping that one would lead to my salvation. Jumping from excitement despite my body's lack of energy, I remembered Benjamin from the Egyptian coven and his talent of controlling the earth. I looked under my feet to see a different type of rock than the rest of the room, one that could be controlled by Benjamin's talent.

I quickly raised two up and put them over a place in the floor that flames were shooting up from, before raising four more to put above my head and to my right, effectively blocking the flames long enough for me to get by. Happiness is the only thing that kept me from falling to the ground in exhaustion as I opened the door that would lead me back to the viewing room. That didn't stop me from falling onto one of the couches that was placed near the door as soon as I could though.

Looking toward the brothers, I felt the exhaustion flow more heavily when I saw the glare that Caius was aiming toward me. I guess he had hoped that I wouldn't be making it out. Marcus was giving me a huge grin that said 'Well done'. Aro was harder to read as he looked torn between pride and anger. He really hates losing.

"Well done, Isabella. We will give you and the Cullens until tomorrow to rest before the next challenge," Aro said calmly as he walked out the door. After a moment of hesitation Caius followed without sparing me another glance, followed by Marcus who grinned until he was out of sight.

When I was sure that they were out of hearing distance of the room, I turned to look at the Cullens. They looked like they were all torn between fear, shock, and awe. I bet Jasper was having a field day with the emotions they were giving off.

The silence stretched on as they still didn't break from their shock. "Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought," I said, hoping that they would say something. After a moment, Alice gave a small broken laugh before running to hug me. If I had still been human, she would have no doubt crushed me with her strength.

"I would hate to see what you had been expecting then," she whispered quietly to me. She didn't warn me not to do anything dangerous like that again because she knew that I had no choice in the matter. The rest of the Cullens seemed to come alive at this point coming forward to give me hugs. All except Edward that is.

He hung back from the rest, giving me a look that I didn't understand. I didn't have time to figure it out before Emmett boomed, "Woah, my little sis is a bad ass!" A thump signaled that Rosalie had hit him on the back of his head… again. "What Rose it's the truth! Did you not see the way she got through those flames?"

Rose just shook her head before smiling at me and whispering, "well done Bella." I gave her a small nod in return before allowing Esme to squeeze the life, you know what I mean, out of me. I looked at her face, knowing that if she could, she would have tears in her eyes. She really did think of me as a daughter and she came close to losing me today. Carlisle wore a similar expression as he gave me a hug.

"Well," Alice said nervously as everyone backed off, giving me a perfect view of Edward who still hadn't come forward. "We'll just give you two some alone time to… talk." With that, the family walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Edward.

After a few moments of silence, he looked up at me. "Bella, we need to talk," he said softly with pain lacing his words. My heart broke at his pain, but I just wasn't ready to talk to him yet. I needed to figure out what I wanted to do from here before I could tell him. I should probably also be better rested at the time too.

"Can we talk about this later Edward? I'm really tired and I don't think I can take arguing with you right now," I said softly as I looked down. I waited for a few seconds for an answer, but none came. I looked up to see that the room was empty except for me. I guess he really didn't want to talk after all. I let out a sigh as I walked quickly to my chambers to rest for the next task and desperately trying to keep Edward off my mind.

**A/N so what do you think. I gave you four word pages here. Write and tell me what you think cough review cough. Or if you don't want to tell me that tell me about your worst Bella moment. Next chapter I'll tell you mine.**


	19. Edward's Demise

**A/N So, long time no see, or talk, or type. I have to say that RL has been kicking my but lately. But some friends of mine made me sit down and write so go over to youtube and watch heaven's gate by fourpsychoticgirls to thank them. They actually have an updating schedule. As promised, my Bella moment was when I was standing still in the middle of an elevator. It stopped and a second later I fell (I wasn't even moving, that takes skill). I also need a beta if anyone's interested. Someone to go over my already posted chapters and to bounce ideas off and remind me to update. I'll let you get to the story now.**

**EPOV (Don't kill him yet)**

How could I let this happen? Seeing Bella in danger like that had nearly killed me, but when she made it out (alive thankfully) I was too much of a coward to say anything.

**Flashback**

Bella had just stumbled into the room and fallen on the sofa by the door. My relief washed over me as I saw that she was unharmed, just tired.

It took everything in me to not run over to her, scoop her into my arms, and run far away from this prison. But Bella wouldn't want that. She didn't want me anymore because I'm an idiot.

I hadn't been paying attention to Aro or his brothers, so it surprised me when they started to leave the room after only a few words to Bella. What were they thinking?

_Can't believe the little slut actually made it through that! She was supposed to die…_ I quickly tuned out of Caius's thoughts. I would probably attack him if he kept thinking those things about my Bella. Wait, not your Bella anymore.

I shook my head trying to dispel those thoughts before trying Marcus. _She did it! I'm so proud of her. I knew she'd figure out whatever plan Aro had._ It made me smile to hear the pride and love he had for Bella. He truly cared for her like a father and it was good to know that she had real familial love here.

My assessment of Caius and Marcus had taken half a minute so the leaders were still heading toward the door. I looked at Aro before I delved into his mind, trying to get a read on how he felt about Bella's triumph. When my eyes reached his face, my dead heart froze. The smile he had was so chilling and evil that I wasn't sure that I could enter the mind that housed it. But for Bella's safety, I would.

_Smart girl, clever girl. Figured out my game. I shouldn't be surprised, I was the one who trained her. But I still hate losing. Maybe I shouldn't think of this as a loss though. Bella made it through her first task, but Edward probably won't make it through his. With him out of the way, I can bring Bella back to the folds and finally exterminate the threat of Carlisle's family. Of course before I kill them, I'll offer sanctuary to little Alice and Jasper. Their gifts would make excellent additions to my guard. Shame about the loss of Edward's gift, but sacrifices must be made…_

I pulled out before I could hear any more of his disturbing thoughts. I had to warn my family that they were in more danger than they knew. This was all just an excuse to wipe out the competition. I knew it would hurt Carlisle to know that his old "friend" would betray him like this, but they had to be prepared to escape the city if Aro was right about me not being able to complete the next challenge.

But before I talk to them, I would have to talk to Bella. It didn't matter if she didn't want anything to do with me anymore, but she had to get out of Volterra. I couldn't let her stay with a monster like Aro who would use her to do despicable things to further his own gain.

It was at this point that I noticed that everyone was staring at me and Bella. I tapped into their minds to see that they were all screaming at me to talk to Bella and to stop being an idiot according to Rose.

"Well, we'll just give you two some alone time to… talk," said Alice as she herded the family out. I would have to thank her later. I'm not sure what I would do if Bella denied me in front of my family.

"Bella we need to talk," I started softly, hoping that she would give me a chance to explain. My hopes were dashed when she looked at me with tired eyes. They held none of the warmth that I was used to seeing.

"Can we talk about this later Edward? I'm really tired and I don't think I can take arguing with you right now," she sighed as she looked at the floor. My heart broke into pieces at her words. I guess she really doesn't want me around. Fine, I'll make it easier on her.

I ran from the room as fast as my legs would carry me, not looking back until I was back in my family's chamber. I knew Alice had already seen the warning I was going to give and had told everyone. I locked myself in my bedroom, not planning on surfacing until it was time for the next challenge.

**End Flashback**

Alice had come to my room minutes ago to warn me that Felix and Demetri would be here soon to escort me to my challenge. I had been putting off actually leaving the room until the last possible moment to avoid Esme's tears.

I exited the room at human speed to see the rest of my family lined up at the door. They looked at me as if I was going to face a firing squad, which, come to think of it, I just might be.

Alice was the first to reach me. She pulled me into a hug that would crush a normal human.

"Good luck. You HAVE to be okay," she warned me, sneaking a glance at Esme who did indeed look as though she would be crying if she could.

Surprisingly, Rosalie reached me next. "Don't die idiot. Eternity wouldn't be as much fun without you around to tell me what the humans think of me." I let out a soft chuckle, typical Rosalie.

Emmett was next. "Yeah Eddie. If you die, who am I going to make fun of?" he boomed. I smiled at him.

Jasper simply nodded at me letting me feel the sadness he felt at my leaving and the friendship that he had for me.

Carlisle stepped forward as he said, "Edward, you are my first born. You kept me from being lonely and all these years I have tried to do right by you. If I could, I would take your place."

"I wouldn't want you to," I responded. "Carlisle, you are truly my father just as Esme is my mother. The family needs you more than it needs me."

"You're wrong," Esme said in a deadly calm voice. "This family needs you Edward, even if you don't see it."

I was about to reply when Felix and Demetri walked in. _Time to go_ Demetri thought calmly while Felix's thoughts were a little more bloodthirsty.

I nodded my head at them as I turned from my family and headed to the firing squad.

**A/N So tell me what you think. Review! And go to youtube and subscribe.**


	20. Truth and Lies

**A/N: I'd just like to take a moment and assure all of you who are still reading this that I'm not giving up on any of my stories. The truth of the matter is that I just finished writing my own book and am working to get it published. Fanfiction is the place I go to when I have writers block and need to concentrate on something else. I will finish my stories but I can't always guarantee a quick update as most of you have probably already learned. Without further ado here's Edward's task.**

**Truth and Lies**

**Edward's POV**

I was surprised by how long it was taking to reach the place where Aro would test me. It felt like I had been following Demetri and Felix for hours, but that might have just been my anxiety.

My confusion only grew when my bodyguards stopped in the middle of the hall, forcing me to screech to a halt behind them. From what I could tell, there was nothing here. No door, no passage, no one.

"Why…" I didn't get the chance to finish my question. Demetri lowered himself to a crouch before springing straight into the air, pushing away part of the roof. A small ray of light trickled in from the hole illuminating part of the tunnel.

A low growl brought my attention back to Felix whose lips had curled over his teeth, making him every bit the animal his thoughts showed him to be. He didn't say anything but the threat was very clear in his mind.

Careful to stay out of striking distance, I leaped through the exit. Demetri was casually leaning against the side of a building not paying attention to me, but rather to the fading sunset. A thump behind me was the only indication I had that Felix had followed us out of the tunnel.

"How long?" He snarled the question to Demetri, keeping his eyes trained on me.

"In a few seconds," Demetri's voice didn't hold the same rage Felix had, but I knew from their thoughts that Demitri was far more dangerous. "And please Felix, do try to control your temper. We don't have time for a tantrum."

To my surprise, Felix did as he was commanded. At least on the outside. His thoughts still spewed threats at me every few seconds.

"Now," Demetri ordered, lowering his hood and stalking into the dark street. There were still people, most on their way home, but none of them paid attention to us. The streets quickly became a maze as we darted up one street and down another.

If it wasn't for my photographic memory, I'd have been lost. As it was, I felt great relief when we stopped outside a dark warehouse. I glanced at the door then to the guards who flanked me. Both nodded to the building, indicating that I was meant to enter.

Admittedly, I was being far less careful entering the strange location than I would have been before Bella dismissed me. What did I have to fear? Death? It would only mean that those I cared about would be given the chance to leave unharmed.

As I made my way through the double doors, the intoxicating scent of fresh blood flooded my nose. If not for the years of practice in resisting the temptation, I would have most likely began hunting. Instead I pushed my hunger down and followed the barely discernible smell of the brothers.

The trail led to a room in the back of the warehouse. It was just my luck that this room was also the source of the mouthwatering aroma. Slowly pushing through the entrance, I immediately noticed that the large room was filled with at least twenty humans who all wore the same expression of pure terror.

Laughter from my right brought my attention to the four statues. A low growl built in my throat as I noticed Aro's gleeful expression as he watched the humans huddle together in the center of the room.

"Aren't humans so predictable," he whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Put them in danger and they become a herd. And they think they are so far above the livestock which sustains them!"

"What are they doing here?" Despite my anger, I tried to make my voice sound neutral.

"Yes Aro," Marcus added. "You've kept us all in suspense. Surely now that Mr. Cullen is here you can explain this test."

It was while looking at the bored expression on Marcus' face that I realized that I couldn't read his mind. Now that I thought about it, it was absolutely silent in my head. Where there should have been shrieks and panic from the people huddled in the middle of the room, ther was only my own thoughts.

It could only mean one thing. Looking more closely at the fourth hooded figure who I had assumed was only a guard, I was shocked to see Bella. She was staring obstinately at the ground, avoiding my gaze even when I called her name.

"Ah yes." Aro's voice held an artificial sadness, as if he felt any real regret about the rift these challenges had caused between us. "I'm sorry to say that I had to interrupt Isabella's rest. You see, I can't have you reading minds until the test begins. It would be unfair."

I knew I should have been paying more attention to his words, but all I could concentrate on in that moment was Bella. Would this be the last time I saw her? Did it even matter now that she hated me?

I hated this! Ever since these idiotic trials began, it seemed that the wall between Bella and I had only grown thicker. What made it worse was that I knew that none of this would have happened if I hadn't left her when she had still been human.

"Now about the test," Aro continued, his words finally breaking through. "I think you'll find that this fits with your gift quite nicely."

"This," he said, gesturing to a large black box. Aro hit a button on the keypad resting on top of it causing a bright blue light to flick on. "Is a bomb. It has thirty minutes on the timer during which the four digit password can be entered to turn it off. All you have to do is find the right code."

"That's it?" Caius scoffed. "Brother you are far too lenient! He could put in every possible code within ten minutes."

"I did take that into account Caius," Aro smiled. "That's why Edward only has three attempts. Should you put the wrong code in each time, the bomb will go off."

"That doesn't explain what they are doing here," Marcus added, nodding at the group of humans.

"Rather simple actually Marcus," Aro answered. "One of them knows the code. They each have been given a four digit number and it is up to Edward to figure out which has the correct number."

I glanced back at the group whose purpose now made them far more intimidating. It was hard enough to single out one mind from a crowd without adding panic to the mix. My head ached already at the thought of what would happen when Bella lowered her shield. It wasn't helped when a little boy who was clinging to an older woman's hand began wailing.

"Ah, the innocence of children. They are too young to fully understand the evils of the world, but old enough to understand simple orders." Aro marveled. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to face me. "Now we'll leave and allow you to either pass or fail this task. Good luck."

With his final words, he turned and began to exit the building, bringing his brothers with him. My heart seemed to come alive when I realized that Bella had not immediately followed. Instead she was finally looking at me with what looked to be concern in her eyes. She cast a furtive glance at the retreating figures before leaning closer to me.

"You can do this Edward. Aro always makes the games fair. Even if this seems impossible, he's already given you everything you need to pass," Bella whispered, making sure to keep her voice low enough that I only I could hear her.

"Isabella," Aro called before I could say anything. "We are waiting."

She turned to leave, but I couldn't let her go like this. Not again.

"Bella." She paused, waiting for me to say anything. My mind which I had once told her could consider every option in seconds was stumped. In a situation like this, it was impossible to know what to say. I settled for the one thing that had always and would always remain true. "I love you."

"Forever," she answered. This one word brought my dead heart more joy than I thought I would ever feel again. Before I could fully dwell on it though, Bella rushed through the doors, taking the gift of her shield away. Panic flooded my head.

**A/N Well now you know what his task his. Review. It might not make me go faster, but sometimes it inspires me and it's always nice to hear what you think. And answer this question: Should Bella and Edward complete all six task or should something (like a rebellion just saying) save them? See you soon hopefully!**


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